Rights groups document 22 cases of rubber bullets used on Israeli prison inmates

Two Israeli human rights groups say prison guards have shot 22 inmates with rubber bullets, mostly Palestinians.

The groups, Physicians for Human Rights Israel and the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel, say nearly all the cases happened since last fall, after only a handful were documented in the previous decade.

They say some inmates were shot at close range and suffered serious injuries, and several did not receive medical care.

The groups argue that many shootings were not a last resort and breached rules allowing weapons only when there is an imminent risk.

Israel’s Prison Service legal adviser said there was no reason to stop using rubber bullets in measured and appropriate ways, while the service did not respond to a request for comment from the Associated Press.

The groups’ findings come amid a wider increase in Palestinian prisoners since the Gaza war began; more than 9,000 Palestinians remain imprisoned or detained, according to rights group Hamoked.

The groups want the prison service to end the practice, but the service has not agreed to do so.